On the Front Line
by a.fictional.love
Summary: When Frank goes on leave to Tokyo for two weeks, Lieutenant Andrea Lennox from the 58th steps in to fill his place. Surgery at the 4077th is nothing like she has ever experienced before, and neither is a certain blue-eyed surgeon she grows close to amidst the chaos of the front line. T to be safe. Hawkeye x OC
1. Ferret Face's Leave

**First M*A*S*H fic, leave lots of reviews! starts off a little slow, but the next chapters will be up soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own M*A*S*H or any of the affiliated characters**

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Chapter 1: Ferret Face's Leave

When Hawkeye strolled into the Swamp with a huge grin plastered on his face, Trapper, couldn't let it go without questioning.

"Someone's walking on sunshine," he commented.

Hawkeye turned to him. "Trapper, if I hadn't had those martinis for breakfast, I would've skipped through the door."

"And why is that?"

"I got the best news."

Trapper's head perked up. "The war is over and we can all go home?"

Hawkeye held up his hands in defeat. "Fine. Second best news." He paused for a dramatic flare. "Ferret Face goes on his leave in two days."

Trapper's grin spread larger than Hawkeye's. "You're kidding!"

"You think I'd lie about this?" Hawkeye said.

Immediately, Trapper headed over to the still. "How about something to celebrate with? Still got some left; today was an excellent year." Hawkeye grabbed the glasses and Trapper filled them to the top.

"A toast," Hawkeye said, adding an olive as a finishing touch and holding his glass up high. "Two weeks without Frank. Two weeks is color."

"I'll drink to that," Trapper agreed, clinking their glasses together. "Where's he going?" he asked after a sip. Not that he really cared where Ferret Face was going to be as long as he was away from them.

"Tokyo."

Trapper grinned. "He deserves every minute."

"So do we," Hawkeye said.

"Won't there be a replacement? He supposed to be a major."

Hawkeye nodded. "They're bringing another surgeon in from the 58th, or somewhere around there."

Trapper lifted his glass again. "Then to the new surgeon: May he be more fun."

"Less ferret-like."

"A good drinking companion."

"And able to use a scalpel."

Hawkeye and Trapper went about business as usual the following day, the day before Frank was supposed to leave.

"Hello, Frank," they greeted him in the mess tent as they sat next to him and Margaret.

"Oh, Lord, what do you two want?" Margaret asked rhetorically.

Hawkeye looked deep into her eyes. "Margaret, we've been through this already."

"We want you," Trapper finished, eyes on her just the same.

"Excuse me!" Frank exclaimed.

Hawkeye looked him up and down. "There is no excuse for you."

"But we do see that you control your want very well."

"Yes, what medicine are you on? Could we get in on that?"

Margaret turned to Frank, eyes wide. "Frank, we don't have to take this!"

Frank nodded energetically. "You're right. Let's go."

"Frank!" she yelled, stopping him halfway through getting off the bench. "Give them an order!"

"Oh, Margaret," Hawkeye whined, "he was doing so well!"

"He was this close to realizing we don't listen to him!" Trapper held his thumb and forefinger a hair's width apart. He looked at Hawkeye. "Now we have to start all over."

"Come on, Margaret," Frank said, taking her hand and leading her out the door, though this time she went without complaint.

"Two whole weeks in Tokyo," Trapper said.

Hawkeye shrugged. "I give him two days before he comes crawling back."

"Why? He'll miss us too much?"

"Why else?" Hawkeye asked as they stood and left the mess tent, hearing the PA system announcing incoming wounded. "It's certainly not the hours."

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**Thoughts? Review please!**


	2. A New Surgeon in Town

**Thank you to everyone who read chapter 1, and a special thanks to the reviewers! Only two, but even just those comments really make my day. I know it was a short chapter without much serious content, but I had to start somewhere, so I appreciate any positive thoughts. Now let's really start getting into some plot!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own *M*A*S*H or any of the affiliated characters**

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Chapter 2: A New Surgeon in Town

Later that night, long after the sun had set and Hawkeye and Trapper had collapsed on their beds after hours of surgery, an army jeep pulled into the M*A*S*H 4077th base. On the driver's side was a fit young man with a stoic face. He got out of the jeep and grabbed the bag of medical supplies from the back.

The woman on the passenger side, slender and of medium height, her dark hair pulled back, got out and took the other bag, pulling the strap onto her shoulder.

They started walking towards the center of the camp where most people and lights were. The woman looked around her, summing up the 4077th and trying to figure out where she was supposed to go.

"Here we are," she said to herself, finding a post with multiple arrows that she assumed were directions for the camp. When she had read them all, she still didn't have a clue as to where she should go, but she did know how far she was from Burbank and Boston. She ran her fingers over the letters etched in wood and smiled, unsure of why why she liked the idea as much as she did - probably because it wouldn't have gone over too well at the 58th.

"San Francisco? What is this rubbish?" the man said in a way that would have met the approval of Major Frank Burns.

"Oh, come on, Rick. Laugh a little. I promise it won't kill you," she said as they walked away.

"I'm not the one who's staying here," he reminded her, sticking his chin out and his nose up as he surveyed the unit. "All I want to do is get back as soon as I can, like the colonel asked me to. Let's just figure out where you have to go. Ask one of those men."

She followed his pointing finger. "You mean the ones running around looking worried, doing things ten times more important than giving me the time of day? Yeah, sure. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Andrea, please," he almost begged. Almost. She knew he would never deign that low.

She held up her hands. "Fine." Running over to catch up with one man, she said, "Excuse me!" If he heard, he didn't respond. She turned to another. "Sorry, could-" This one walked away too. The third at least cast her an apologetic glance, but hurried on his way as well. She looked back at her companion, arms crossed. "Great plan," she said as he came closer.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Ask around, look around, do something. You're not very good at just standing there and looking pretty."

"Um, excuse me?" a small voice inquired from behind her. She turned to face the newcomer, a very short young man with round glasses. But she quickly realized that he wasn't talking to her. Instead, he was addressing Rick. "Are you the surgeon from the 58th?"

Rick didn't smile at the mistake. "That would be her."

The young man looked shocked for a moment when he turned to face Andrea, but he recovered. "Sorry." He looked back at Rick and seemed to shrink, probably from the stony gaze he was receiving. He quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat. "Corporal Walter O'Reilly." He stuck out his hand.

Andrea took it, acknowledging the way he seemed disregarded her gender. "Lieutenant Andrea Lennox."

Rick cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but Andrea cut him off. "Yes, fine, go. Give my regards to Colonel Hollis." With a condescending look, Rick stood, waiting for the salute he should get from the corporal. But this corporal only wondered what was going on; he hadn't given a salute in a while. "Oh, Rick, I thought you wanted to leave! Just go!" With a scowl, Rick gave up, turned, and walked back to the jeep. The corporal's eyes were still wide as he watched the intimidating man leave. "Don't mind him. He's been cranky ever since the war started," Andrea said. She gestured to the bag Rick had left with them. "Do you think you could give me a hand?"

He nodded and picked it up, finding it lighter than he had expected. He looked inside. "Oh, you didn't have to bring any supplies."

Andrea shrugged. "That's what Rick said, but I thought they might be useful, and the satisfaction of doing the opposite of what he says is even better."

The young man smiled, grateful that she seemed to be the complete opposite of the tall, mean, and unhappy one. "I'll take you to the colonel."

"Colonel Blake?" Radar asked as he entered the room with Andrea.

Henry was using one hand to press a glass of scotch to his forehead. The rim of the glass fit just underneath a tattered, well-worn fishing hat. His eyes were closed. "Radar, am I going to need another drink for whatever you're about to tell me?"

Andrea smiled at Colonel Blake. Things were much more laid back at the 4077th than they were at the 58th.

"Uh, no, Sir, I don't think so," Radar said, looking from Andrea to Blake. Andrea held back a laugh. "The surgeon from the 58th is here."

Andrea surprised herself by keeping a straight face while the colonel's eyes popped open and he failed to hide the liquor. After a moment, Andrea couldn't take it anymore. She smiled and saluted. "Lieutenant Andrea Lennox, Sir. It's nice to meet you."

The colonel stood, smiling sheepishly and blushing, but returned her salute and extended his hand. "Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake. Welcome to the 4077th, best care anywhere. Thank you for coming, and, uh...sorry for the, uh..." He looked at the bottle on his desk and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He cleared his throat and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Anyway, it's getting late, so I'm just going to ask Radar here to show you to your tent. Tomorrow morning you can meet the other surgeons. They had a long day, and knowing them, they're dead to the world right now."

Radar led Andrea out of the colonel's office and outside. Feeling more comfortable with her new situation, Andrea asked, "Why does he call you Radar?"

"Oh, everyone calls me Radar. Hawkeye started calling me that because I know what's gonna happen before it happens. I'm always the first to hear the choppers. My eyes are so bad that I have sonic ears." He laughed at his own joke. "Hawkeye is one of the surgeons. You'll meet him and Trapper tomorrow. And you can call me Radar if you want, Ma'am."

Andrea stopped walking. Radar slowed when he realized she was no longer beside him. He turned, looking at her quizzically. "Radar, you can call me Lieutenant, Doctor, Lennox, Andrea, Andi, or anything else you want. Just don't call me 'Ma'am.' It's what we called Mrs. Fitz, our ninth grade advisor." She shuddered. "It makes me feel old."

Radar smiled. "Okay...Andi. Here's your tent. You have it all to yourself."

"Thanks, Radar," she called as she closed the door and collapsed on the bed. A long car ride with Rick could make anyone exhausted.

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**Any and all thoughts are greatly appreciated when they go in the review box *hint*hint* Thanks for reading**


	3. The Bathrobe Brigade

**Happy New Year! Sorry for the wait, the holiday season can get kinda crazy. Hope this one is worth the wait, it's a little longer than previous chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I (still) do not own M*A*S*H or any of the affiliated characters.**

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Chapter 3: The Bathrobe Brigade

"Really?" Henry exclaimed as Hawkeye and Trapper walked into his office the next morning, clad in red and yellow bathrobes. He didn't think Andrea would mind from the way she had reacted to his scotch, but there was no denying it was inappropriate.

"Some days it's just not worth it to chew through the restraints," Hawkeye explained with a yawn. He plopped into the chair over by the window.

"And you didn't even give us time for breakfast," Trapper complained, referring to the martinis he and Hawk didn't get to drink. "So, what's the new guy like? Tall? Scary? Mean?"

"Just tell me he's not Frank," Hawkeye pleaded.

Henry smiled inwardly. He had planned on telling them that the surgeon was female, but maybe he'd keep that piece of information to himself now. He saw Radar walk in then with Andrea, both of them laughing. Hawkeye and Trapper were too busy talking to each other to notice.

"I can see him now," Trapper was saying, "Six feet tall...bright green eyes...auburn hair..."

"I think I'm in love," Hawkeye sighed, staring off into space.

"Actually," Henry said, snapping both surgeons out of their reveries, "_he_ is not like Frank because _he_ is a _she_." From behind them, Andrea cleared her throat. The two doctors turned and stared at her for a second. She stared right back.

Hawkeye was the first to comment. "You are a she."

"And you are wearing a bathrobe," she replied. She waited for another gender comment, but none came. Again, the company at the 4077th made her smile.

Only a few people she had met in the army didn't mind that she was a female surgeon. Her Colonel didn't, but even some of her superiors did. They grudgingly let her operate because it was the Colonel's orders, and she was pretty good about not killing anyone.

"Lieutenant Andrea Lennox, these are my best surgeons, Captain Pierce and Captain McIntyre," Henry explained, pointing to each in turn.

"Hawkeye," the dark-haired one said, shaking her hand. She remembered what Radar had told her the night before.

She then shook hands with the one in the yellow robe. "Trapper."

"Andi," she replied.

"Pierce, McIntyre, show the Lieutenant around so she isn't lost when a surge comes in," Henry dismissed them.

With a brightly robed doctor on either side of her, Andi got the grand tour of the camp.

"That's the mess hall," Hawkeye said. "You don't have to eat anything; the chef won't be insulted."

"It's a good idea to have the Father bless you if you do," Trapper said as Father Mulcahy and Klinger approached them.

"Hello, Father," Hawkeye greeted. "Klinger, beautiful as always." Today the Corporal was wearing a purple sundress with white heels, but he waved away the comment. "Father, Klinger, this is Lieutenant Andrea Lennox, the surgeon while Frank is on leave. Andi, meet Father Mulcahy and Corporal Maxwell Klinger."

"Why is he wearing a dress?" she asked when both groups went their separate ways.

Trapper shrugged. "Wasn't a skirt day."

"Section eight," Hawkeye explained simply.

Andi knew the idea, and wondered if a man dressing each day as a woman was why they didn't seem to care about her being a surgeon. "And how's that working for him?"

Hawkeye shrugged. "Hasn't gotten him too far. I think he keeps doing it because he likes it."

"If it ever does though, you can count on the rest of the camp emerging in heels and girdles," Trapper commented. Andi wasn't surprised by how serious he was.

"So, I'm filling in for Burns?" she asked for clarification.

Hawkeye nodded. "And we love you for it."

"Yes, Major Frank Burns," Trapper said.

"He's a major?" Andi asked, incredulous.

"I know, it surprises us too," Hawkeye said sincerely.

Andi blinked at the two. "I'm filling in for a _major_?"

"Trust me," Trapper said, "his shoes aren't that big."

Hawkeye turned to her. "Can you use a scalpel?"

"Yes," she replied, a little taken aback by the question.

"Then you've got nothing to worry about."

"You'll be a favorite in no time," Trapper added.

They walked on, getting closer to a large building that Andi saw was the O.R. "You guys don't really like Major Burns, do you?"

Hawkeye mocked minor disappointment. "Is it that obvious?"

"Consider yourself lucky if you never have to meet him," Trapper said.

They were a few feet away from the O.R. when the door to the building next to them, the post-op ward, opened to reveal a man backing out of the exit.

"Apparently, luck isn't on our side today," Hawkeye said under his breath to Andi. "Hello, Frank." Andi noticed a sudden gleam in both surgeons' eyes.

The major turned and placed his hands on his hips. "You two! What else? I just want my leave!"

Trapper innocently held up his hands. "Believe me, we're not stopping you."

"I'd gladly pack your suitcase and get your car," Hawkeye offered.

"Well," Frank said, getting a haughty look on his face, "I've been alone in there all morning-"

"Always dangerous," Hawkeye interrupted.

Trapper nodded. "We should probably check on them."

"-while you two," Frank continued, his face turning a little redder, "parade around with no clothes on! Where's your uniform? Where's your dignity, soldier?"

"They beat feet outta here as soon as they could," Trapper mumbled. "Wish I could have joined them."

"Frank, my dear, we don't give a damn anyway," Hawkeye added.

As much as Andi liked Hawkeye and Trapper, she was feeling some sympathy for the blue-eyed surgeon.

"And we're not parading, Frank," Trapper explained as if the major was a small child. "We're touring."

"Frank, meet Lieutenant Andrea Lennox. She's your replacement while you galavant around Tokyo," Hawkeye said. Andi saluted.

"My replacement?" Frank asked. "A woman?"

She let her hand drop. There it was: the comment she had been waiting for. She was used to it, but in this base with all these men who overlooked her gender, she actually found herself surprised. She didn't say anything, but shot Frank an icy glare.

"Very good, Frank," Hawkeye said. "Did Major Houlihan teach you how to tell?"

"We give you an A for observation; F for class," Trapper added.

Hawkeye chanced a look at Andi to see what her reaction was. He nearly did a double-take when he saw the daggers she was shooting Frank. The major caught the look and shrunk back himself, hesitating for a moment while he thought of how to explain himself.

"It's just that...Men are surgeons. Women are nurses."

Trapper looked up in confusion. "Then what are you doing here?"

Frank took the opportunity to glare at him, grateful to be away from the death stare he was still receiving from Andi.

"Look, Bub, I didn't come here to be insulted."

"Oh?" Hawkeye said, mildly amused. "Where do you usually go?"

"Can you give them our cards?" Trapper asked.

"We're looking for extra employment. Twenty-eight hours in the O.R. just isn't enough for us."

"We're going for a new world record."

"Something Nobel Prize worthy."

The mischievous grins seemed to grow brighter. If this was how they acted all the time, Andi knew she would like the 4077th.

"I'm leaving," Frank declared as he stepped past them.

"Goodbye, Frank!"

The major turned and shot a look their way.

"Does everyone hate him?" Andi asked when he was out of ear shot.

Trapper held the door open for her. "Only his guts."

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**Thanks for reading, reviews always welcome**


	4. Radar

**Another short one...my apologies. Enjoy anyway!**

**It's coming to the beginning of a new semester for me soon, so good luck to all those with midterms, finals, and/or a new set of classes!**

**Disclaimer: still don't own M*A*S*H**

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Chapter 4: Radar

"Well, Frank didn't kill anyone," Trapper pointed out as they walked out of the pre-op building a while later. Frank had already left, and Hawkeye and Trapper had been showing Andi the pre-op, post-op, and O.R. buildings.

Hawkeye shrugged. "Even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while."

Andi laughed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. From her first meeting with the bathrobe clad surgeons to walking with them on her own private tour, she didn't think she'd stopped smiling once, excluding their run-in with Burns. The two could find anything to joke about as they explained procedures, set up, and people. They picked on Henry and Radar, but Andi could see it was good-natured teasing. Frank, however, was a different matter.

"Aha," Hawkeye said as they approached a tent entitled 'The Swamp'. "The grand finale."

"Thank you for choosing HawkTrap tours. Feel free to look around the rest of the camp while your guides put clothes on," Trapper added.

Bidding the two fair well, Andi made her way around the camp again, slowly at first, but more quickly as she remembered where things were.

She was passing by a small gap between buildings that she hadn't paid much attention to when she heard a cry of protest and a squeak of pain.

"No!" Radar was saying as she walked toward him, the source of the noise. All around him were animals in little crates. He slammed close the door to one holding a raccoon, which appeared to be the animal he was scolding. "Bad!"

"Radar?" Andi asked, worried. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" He turned to her, eyes squinting in the sun. "Oh, hi, Andi. Yeah, I'm okay. Rocky just bit me is all. Don't worry. He doesn't have rabies."

Andi decided not to comment on the name. "Let me see it."

Hesitantly, Radar showed her his bitten hand. The wound wasn't deep, but the blood flowed freely, and it would need a bandage. "Come on. Let's take care of this."

Putting her tour to good use, Andi found the O.R. and made Radar wash his hands. "Make sure they're clean and dry," she instructed as she looked for some bandages. While she was patching up his hand, he let out a little laugh.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. This is just usually Hawkeye's job."

"What, fixing you up when the petting zoo rebels?"

"Pretty much," he replied, though he knew it was a joke. "Colonel Blake and Captain McIntyre have sworn off anything to do with animals ever since a dog bit me and they had to chase it to give it a rabies shot. And Major Burns wouldn't help anyway. You remind me of Hawkeye."

"Is that a good thing?"

He shrugged again. "I think it is."

Andi smiled. "You two are close."

Radar nodded. "He's kind of like...maybe an older brother, or one of those cool uncles on TV, you know?"

"I've heard people talk about him," she said. She didn't mention her only other source was Burns.

Radar nodded again. "You may hear different things, but no one can say he's a bad doctor."

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The following morning, Andi got to see first hand what Radar was talking about. A steady inflow of wounded was announced over the PA system, and Andi took over Frank's spot. She watched as Hawkeye and Trapper continuously joked back and forth while extracting bullets and shrapnel.

"I need more sutures!" Henry announced after several hours.

"We're out, Sir," Radar replied quietly.

Henry took a deep breath. "Why are we out?"

"Because you've been asking for them nonstop for the past two hours, Sir."

"Is there anything else we can use?" he asked, irritated.

"Radar, go check in our tent to see if Frank left any dental floss," Hawkeye said, completely focused on pulling shrapnel from a man's chest. "He has enough to tie up the Koreans if we don't beat them."

Henry shook his head to wake himself up, and Andi saw an immediate change on Hawkeye's face. "Henry, we're almost done here. Maybe you should take a break. Go to sleep or something."

"Sleep?"

Hawkeye nodded. "Yeah, it's this thing normal people do at night. Apparently it's good for you."

"You should relax, Henry," Trapper commented, worried as well.

"You don't get a say in this. You've been neck-deep in a man's guts for the past thirty minutes," Henry said testily. "And who would finish here?"

"Nurse, can you close up?" Andi asked. She made her way over to his patient. "I will."

Henry, overpowered, consented.

As soon as Henry was out of the room, Hawkeye caught her eye. "Thank you," he said.

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**Reviews always welcome!**


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